The hungry wolves opened their maws and bared their sharp teeth as they ran toward the traveling party. When they were only thirty meters away, the bald mercenary leader roared, "SHOOT!"
Dozens of arrows were fired by the mercenaries toward the incoming wolf pack. The wolves at the front instantly stumbled after being injured by the arrows. Soon, they were dead after being trampled upon by their brethren from behind.
When the wolves were fifteen meters away, another volley of arrows was fired, and a dozen more wolves died.
"Fight with me!" The mercenary leader shouted heroically as he brandished his spear.
The mercenaries behind him readied their weapons and patiently waited for the wolves to arrive. And the next moment, the wolves smashed against the wooden carriages. The mercenaries who were standing between carriages or on top of them began attacking.
A brutal bloodbath ensued.
Wolf howls rang from time to time as they fell to their deaths. Some of the wolves split up and surrounded the camp, but they were stopped by the mercenaries who were guarding behind the carriages.
The sound of curses, yelling, and wolf howls mixed together with the scene of blood sent chills down the backs of the children who were located at the center of the camp.
Adam himself couldn't stop his hands from trembling. He had never witnessed such a gory scene before. Even in his hometown, he had never come across something so brutal.
The most he had ever done was kill a wild boar just outside his hometown. And even then, he had nearly died.
But this wolf pack completely overwhelmed him!
He closed his eyes, took deep breaths, and tried to calm his turbulent emotions. A few moments later, he opened his eyes, and they shone with determination.
I'll kill anything that slips past the blockade! He screamed in his heart.
He wasn't hot-blooded or stupid enough to join the mercenaries directly. No, he would just wait at the safe spot and attack if any wolves came at him.
And it didn't take long for the mercenaries' formation to break. Just a few minutes into the battle, a young mercenary had already been eaten alive by the wolves. A grievously injured wolf managed to slip through the blockade and rushed toward the children at the center.
Witnessing this scene, most of the children froze in horror, especially the children around Adam. Because the wolf was heading in their direction!
At the crucial moment, Adam knew he had to act. So he rushed toward the wolf instead of retreating. The wolf was injured, and he knew his chances of victory were high. His heart pounded loudly as he inched closer to the beast.
In the blink of an eye, he raised his sword and struck with a horizontal slash as he ran past the wolf. The wolf abruptly came to a stop, and the next moment, hot blood gushed out from the side of its body.
Adam's sword had slashed the wolf from the neck, all the way to its waist. The cut wasn't deep enough, but it was enough to do the job.
In the next moment, the wolf limply fell to the ground. It struggled for a few seconds and then finally died. It had lost too much blood, and Adam's attack had been the final nail in the coffin.
"I-I did it!" Adam muttered in disbelief as he breathed in large mouthfuls of air. With the adrenaline pumping through his veins, he felt like he was on top of the world. He felt invincible.
For a brief moment, he even had the impulse to join the mercenaries and fight with them. But soon, he shook his head and rid himself of such conceited thoughts. He hurriedly retreated toward the center of the camp and got into a fighting position once again.
Only now did the children around him react to what had just happened.
"Oh my goodness!"
"Did you see that?!"
"He… he… he actually killed it!"
The children screamed in utter disbelief. Some looked at him with admiration, while most only felt negatively. They ridiculed themselves for being outdone by a mere commoner. Still, they felt grateful. At least, they were alive.
With Adam killing the wolf, the children's morale was lifted, and most of them readied themselves for any impending wolf attacks. These children had the talent to become Magi and were prideful by nature. How could they let others outshine them?
Jeffrey, who had witnessed everything, was frozen in shock. He couldn't help but wonder if he were in Adam's shoes, would he make it out alive in that situation? Would he be able to so easily conquer his fears and run towards the wolf?
The answer was clear to him.
For a moment, he hesitated over whether to make a move against Adam or not. However, the ingrained arrogance and pride in him overcame his reasoning. His expression turned unsightly.
No, this bastard deserves death! Not only did he steal my money, but he even beat me up in front of others. Even my own father never raised his hand on me!
To think that this peasant had the nerve...
Unforgivable!
Jeffrey decided in his heart that he would kill Adam during this beast attack. Even if he couldn't manage to kill Adam, he at least had to brutally injure him so that he could never become a Magus.
More and more mercenaries at the blockade were attacked and killed by the ravenous wolves. Due to this, many wolves had slipped past the makeshift blockade made of carriages and begun attacking the children.
There were even two deaths among the children. However, the Magi still hadn't made a move. The children, as well as the mercenaries, were getting extremely anxious.
Adam kept hacking his sword at any wolf that came his way. Vertical slash, horizontal slash, thrust, stab, he attacked with everything he had in his arsenal.
He was drenched in blood. Some was his own blood, while most of it was from the wolves. He had completely lost himself in the moment as he continued to hack away with his sword like a madman.
Jeffrey, who was using his crossbow and assisting the children from a relatively safer spot, suddenly glanced in Adam's direction, and his eyes lit up. Chance!
He nocked a bolt in the crossbow and aimed it toward Adam. At the same time, he didn't forget to shout out righteously.
"Adam, let me help you!"
Pew!
Jeffrey finally fired the bolt, and his lips curled up into a wicked grin.